Chapter 5, Part 5

I still remember that day. My teacher told me I had the opportunity to participate in an international exchange competition. I had just returned from the dance studio, and before I could even set aside that flicker of joy, Gu Huaibei tore my dance leotard. He pinned me against the bathroom mirror in a posture that made me feel suffocated.

"Ji Annan, it will only be fair if we suffer equally. Otherwise, you and your mother, who is lying in the hospital in a coma, won't have an easy time."

He was unhappy, so I no longer had the right to be happy. He forbade me from returning to the dance troupe; only by stripping away all my joy could he find a moment of peace.

My breathing trembled. "I'm sorry, Teacher. I have truly decided not to dance anymore."

After I finished speaking, there was a long silence on the other end of the line. When the teacher finally spoke again, his tone was heavy with unconcealed anger.

"Ji Annan, the reason I chose to take you on as a student was because of your passion for dance. I am... truly disappointed in you."

The call ended. Transparent liquid dripped onto my quilt—one drop, two drops... eventually turning into a relentless, pouring rain.

It was then that a message arrived from Ji Ruowei. She sent a photo.

"Annan, I only just found out you were in the hospital; I'm so sorry. I told Huaibei to go back and keep you company, but he insisted that since I’m here for the competition, it wouldn’t be right to leave me alone. I’m so sorry."

The photo showed a dance competition venue, but in the corner, I spotted an arm. On the wrist was a familiar Richard Mille watch.

It was Gu Huaibei’s favorite timepiece, a gift from Uncle Gu the year he graduated. For the past few years, he had almost never taken it off.

I stared at that arm for a long time, and finally, a decision settled in my heart.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I decided to seek out Lu Chi.

His business card was easy to find; I obtained his contact information with almost no effort.

"Mr. Lu, this is Ji Annan. Regarding the collaboration you mentioned the other day, I have some new thoughts."

Strangely, Lu Chi didn’t seem surprised at all on the other end of the line.

"Ms. Ji, I helped you last time, so you still owe me a favor. It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a meal, would it? Let’s go to Xu’s Restaurant. We can talk while we eat."

My hand, clutching the phone, turned white from the force of my grip.

"Yes, of course. That’s only right."

I set a time with Lu Chi. Throughout that entire week, Gu Huaibei did not appear once.

I am his wife, yet it is laughable that I learned of Gu Huaibei’s whereabouts through entertainment news: today, he was in Hong Kong accompanying Ji Ruowei to see the night view. Two days later, he was shopping with her in Shanghai.

I closed my dry, weary eyes, forcing myself to stop paying attention to anything related to them. I clasped my hands together, pinning all my hopes on the meeting with Lu Chi.

Gu Huaibei was in Shanghai. Through the hotel window, he could see the Oriental Pearl Tower. He thought he must have lost his mind.

No matter how he treated Ji Annan, it was what she deserved, yet he felt afraid to go home. After taking Ji Annan to the hospital that day and confirming she was alright, he had suddenly been gripped by a fear of seeing her, so he flew overnight to a land project on an island for a business trip, filling his schedule with one engagement after another.

Gu Huaibei stubbed out his cigarette and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Gu Huaibei, what are you afraid of? It is Ji Annan who owes you. She deserves to spend her whole life repaying the pain she caused you."

"Being kind to her would be a betrayal to everyone else."

Just as Gu Huaibei was about to shower, the doorbell rang. It was Ji Ruowei.

Gu Huaibei felt a surge of irritation. He didn't know how this woman kept finding out his itinerary, following him wherever he went.

When the door opened, he saw Ji Ruowei holding a bottle of champagne, wearing a silk nightgown that barely covered the tops of her thighs. She walked in and set the bottle on the coffee table. Then, she hooked her hand around Gu Huaibei’s belt, pushed him onto the sofa, and sat in his lap, pouring a glass of champagne and taking a sip.

She then blew her alcohol-scented breath against his neck.

"Brother Huaibei, we grew up together. My love for you is no less than Annan’s. Why can’t you just look at me?"

Gu Huaibei gave a cold, mocking smile.

"Look at you? Look at what? Is there anything worth looking at?"

Ji Ruowei’s neckline was already low, and she deliberately tugged it down further, her chest nearly spilling out.

"There is plenty worth looking at. And I know how to do many things. If you don't try... how will you know what’s good?"

With that, she untied the belt of Gu Huaibei’s bathrobe.

Gu Huaibei looked coldly at her hand resting on his chest. His eyes unconsciously turned fierce. However, Ji Ruowei, currently obsessed with achieving her goal, did not notice his expression. Her hand, filled with provocation, moved downward.

If it had been anyone else, Ji Ruowei might have been halfway to success, but this man was Gu Huaibei.

Eventually, her nimble hand came to a halt. Ji Ruowei summoned every technique she knew, applying it all to him. She hoped for a reaction, but Gu Huaibei only felt a wave of nausea.

He couldn't help but think of Ji Annan. No matter how many times they had been intimate, Ji Annan was always shy. When he kissed every inch of her body, her face, her neck, and her skin would flush with timid color. Gu Huaibei loved her like that—like a stunning red rose blooming beneath him.

Realizing he was thinking of Ji Annan again, his mood instantly soured into rage, his face darkening.

Ji Ruowei’s hand was growing tired, yet there was absolutely no reaction. Frustrated, she saw the look on his face and made a split-second decision. She slid off his lap, pulled open his bathrobe, and knelt before him.

Ji Ruowei looked up with longing in her eyes. But before her lips could make contact, she was shoved onto the floor. Her dress was so short that as she fell, nothing was left hidden.

Gu Huaibei caught a glimpse of the pathetic amount of fabric and the suggestive sight revealed. His disgust deepened. He pulled his robe tight, grabbed his belongings, and walked out.

"This room is dirty now; you can keep it."

Ji Ruowei lay on the floor in a mess, her hand slamming against the ground. Yet, as she stood up, she regained her composure. She picked up her phone. She had turned on the camera when she entered, intending for something to happen. Although nothing did, a single screenshot would be enough to make Ji Annan miserable.

When Ji Ruowei sent the message, I happened to be reading a novel. She sent a photo and deleted it a minute later, but I had already seen the content clearly.

Both of them were in a hotel, wearing robes. Ji Ruowei was sitting disheveled in Gu Huaibei’s lap, her hand reaching toward him.

A familiar sense of nausea spread through every fiber of my being. I ran to the bathroom and vomited until I felt faint.

For several nights in a row, I couldn't get any sleep, to the point that when the day finally came to meet Lu Chi, I was in poor spirits.

While washing my face in the restroom to wake up before meeting him, I happened to see Ji Ruowei on the phone in the stalls.

So, she had already returned to Nancheng.

Did that mean Gu Huaibei was back too? I smiled bitterly in silence. Even if he were back, he probably wouldn't want to see me anyway.

Seeing her, my instinct was to retreat to the private room, not wanting to run into her. But the next second, as I heard her conversation, my feet were rooted to the spot.

"Dad, I know what to do, but you have to ensure everything is covered up perfectly. If even a hint of this is discovered, wouldn't everything be ruined?"

"Fine, fine, I’ll work on winning over Gu Huaibei. I know."

"Don't nag me."

My mind was in chaos, but when I heard her footsteps, I quickly ducked into the emergency stairwell and headed downstairs.

Just then, the private investigator I had hired called me.

"Ms. Ji, while I was looking for the person, I discovered that someone else is looking for him too."

"I don't know how this matter managed to provoke such a powerful figure, but if we cross paths with them, I’m afraid it will be very difficult for us."